“Self-Regulation as a Possibility for Establishment of Free, Efficient and Professional Media” – October 17-19, 2003, Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, Round Table meeting, organized by Yerevan Press Club and “Article 19” Global Campaign for Free Expression under a program “Strengthening Democracy Through Free Expression in the South Caucasus”, supported by the Open Society Institute and the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom. The participants (35 in number) included representatives of Armenian media, journalistic associations, international organizations and diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia, expert from and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Main issues discussed: regulation and self-regulation of media in Armenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina; the concept of “privacy” in case of public figures and ordinary citizens; discrediting information, honest and dishonest methods of getting information; publications on media and journalists; use of media for personal purposes and the reflection of political views of journalist in the publication.
“Elections of 2003 in the Countries of South Caucasus and Their Impact on Regional Processes” – October 10-12, 2003, Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, seminar, organized by Yerevan Press Club with the assistance of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Participants (40 in number) represented media and NGOs of Armenia. The main issues discussed: elections-2003 in the countries South Caucasus through the prism of their integration in Western European structures and development of democracy; election peculiarities in Azerbaijan; elections in Georgia as a mirror of internal problems of this country; the coverage of elections in Azerbaijan and Georgia in the Armenian press; elections in Armenia and their possible consequences for the relations with neighboring countries; impact of elections on media activity.
“Rights and Duties of Public Information Officers” – 12-14 September, 2003, Yerevan, Armenia, Seminar, organized by Yerevan Press Club and the European Journalism Center (Maastricht, Netherlands) with the support of the Council of Europe. The participants (25 in number) – representatives of media, press-services of state structures, private enterprises of Armenia, an expert from the Netherlands. Main issues discussed: the situation in the public information sphere of Armenia, the role of media and NGOs , their cooperation with public information bodies; the public information in the Netherlands and other Western European countries; public information – theory and practice.
“Media Legislation and Liability” – August 27-28, 2003, Yerevan, Armenia, Round Table meeting, organized by Yerevan Press Club and “Article 19” Global Campaign for Free Expression under a program “Strengthening Democracy Through Free Expression in the South Caucasus”, supported by the Open Society Institute and the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom. The participants (50 in number) represented media, NGOs, state structures of Armenia, international organizations. Main issues discussed: provisions of the RA Criminal Code, stipulating liability for libel and insult in media; official draft law “On Mass Communication”.
“Media at Elections-2003” – May 2-4, 2003, Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, seminar, organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (40 in number) represented media and journalistic associations of Armenia. Main issues discussed: YPC monitoring of media coverage of RA presidential elections, the results of the media monitoring for the first ten days of campaign for the RA National Assembly seats; ethical problems of the media coverage of election campaigns; assistance of the professional associations to the journalists covering the election campaigns; the activities of foreign media during elections; elections and the Internet; freedom of expression in Armenia and the region.
“The Role of Mass Media in the Process of Covering International Crisis” – April 18, 2003, Yerevan, Armenia, Seminar, organized by Yerevan Press Club and Friedrich Naumann Foundation. The participants (40 in number) represented the media, politicians and scientists of Armenia, Germany and Bulgaria. Main issues discussed: the experience of German media in the coverage of international crisis; the experience of Bulgarian media in the coverage of international crisis; the experience of Armenian media in the coverage of international crisis.
“Honoring of Commitments to the Council of Europe by Armenia” – April 4-6, 2003, Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, Seminar, organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The participants (40 in number) represented the media, NGOs, state structures of Armenia, international organizations. Main issues discussed: the commitments of Armenia to the Council of Europe and their honoring; the adoption of the law on ombudsman; ensurance of the freedom of press and the compliance of media-related legislation to European standards; the honoring of the commitments related to the freedom of conscience; the changes in the criminal legislation; the realization of commitments on the alternative military service.
“Media Monitoring and Methodology of Expert Interviews on the Resolution of Karabagh Conflict” – March 27-29, 2003, Gudauri, Georgia, the first Working Meeting under bilateral project of Yerevan and Baku Press Clubs “Possible Resolutions to the Karabagh Conflict: Expert Evaluations and Media Coverage”, supported by the OSI Network Media Program. Participants (13 in number) – represented Yerevan, Baku and Stepanakert Press Clubs. Main issues discussed: the course of the monitoring of the coverage of Karabagh conflict resolution process by the media of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Mountainous Karabagh; clarification of the methodology of the expert research on the possibilities of MK problem resolution to be conducted in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Mountainous Karabagh.
“Media Coverage of RA Presidential Elections” – March 7-9, 2003, Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, Seminar, organized by Yerevan Press Club and Friedrich Naumann Foundation. The participants (about 40 in number) represented media, NGOs, journalistic associations of Armenia. Main issues discussed: legislative regulation of the activities of electronic and print media during the pre-election campaigns and its compliance with international standards; coverage of the presidential elections-2003 by the regional media; role of journalistic associations in ensuring the quality and impartial coverage of elections; comparative analysis of the media coverage of the electoral campaigns of 1995-2003; findings of the qualitative monitoring of Armenian media coverage of presidential elections-2003.
